A Christmas Carol Prologue
by NewCookieBaby
Summary: One day while a young Scrooge is sitting down with a younger Marley, they both hear a knock at the door. Scrooge gets up to see Oliver Fan's husband bent over his knees covered in sweat. "Scrooge something is wrong."


A Christmas Carol

Prologue

Upon a cold winter afternoon, scrooge a young gentle man stood at his bench pouring himself and Marley the older man a cup of tea. He delicately carried the small teacups to the table blowing the heat from his hands as he walked.

"Scrooge what do you mean I cannot meet your sister? I've heard she's quite a lovely lady." Scrooge sat the tea on the table, snatching the newspaper from Marley's hands, to sit down and start reading.

"Marley do you take me for a fool! You know quite well, why I will not allow you to meet Fan, and if you have heard so much about her, you would know she is happily married with a child on the way." Marley mumbled into his teacup as he took a sip from his hot tea, scrooge fell back into his chair.

"With fan having a child as her older brother I feel as though I should settle down soon, with Belle." Marley perked up in his chair at his young friends comment, his eyes twitching with delight.

"Don't get too excited my dear friend I shall wait till Fan's child is born." Marley let out a long sigh. However before Marley could let out a word there was a loud abrupt knock at the door. Both Marley and Scrooge were startled by the unending knock. Both Scrooge and Marley got up from their seats however, scrooge persuaded Marley to sit back down. Scrooge did a slow jog to the door, when he opened the door he found Oliver, Fan's Husband at the doorsteps bent over resting on his knees, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Scrooge something is wrong, so wrong." Scrooge turned in the hallway to grab his coat hanging on the wall, Marley stood behind them clutching the doorframe his face expressing shock and worry. Scrooge nodded to his friend showing a wavering smile before closing the door then running after Oliver.

Oliver ran ahead trudging through the thick Christmas Eve snow. While Scrooge followed not too far behind, his mind overrun with unpleasable thoughts.

"Oliver, Ollie, Oliver! Oliver stopped in his tracks, snapping his body around to face Scrooge.

"What Scrooge? What? Are you that dim, you must know what has happened? Fan is sick, she's dying." They both huffed, each breath visible in the cold air. Scrooge felt as though he might be sick at the thought of his sister dying. His vision became blurry.

"She called for me to come find you, I've already said my goodbyes I cannot see her again." With that note tears started to stream from Oliver's face, as he choked on his sobs, Oliver tipped his head and walked away clutching his chest slightly hunched as he mourned.

Scrooge stood in the snow unsure of his next move, but before he could think it over he began to jog, that jog became a spirt. Scrooge got disgusted comments from the crowd of people as he pushed them in the streets as he ran by. It wasn't long until he found himself at the doorsteps of a quant house that belonged to his dear sister. It felt as though his heart had dropped out of his chest as he began to knock on the large wooden door.

"Oh hello dear, she's been waiting for you." I elderly women answered the door; it was Oliver's mother, her eyes puffy and red, while her smile weak.

Scrooge just nodded scared that sobs would escape his lips, he wondered past worried about the sight he would see.

"With candy canes and silver lanes aglow, It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

The door was open ever so slightly as scrooge stood in the glow of the open door, he heard as Fan sang. He breathed heavily as he opened the door to look upon a bed ridden Fan and a baby dressed in a royal blue blanket.

Fan looked up at scrooge as he stood by the door, her skin was pale and she looked delicate like paper.

"You sent for me." His word became blurry as his eyes filled with tears.

"Scrooge, you made it in time to meet Fred, come closer and hold him." Her voice was frail but kind and soft, like always.

Scrooge shuffled closer as Fan lifted the child into his arms, she grimaced in pain, as the child was perched in Scrooge's arms. She laid back him her bed to nestle in the blankets. She shut her eyes, while the blanket stopped moving. No great and wise final words were spoken. Scrooge's eyes started to move rapidly as he tried to hold back the tears that were forming.

Scrooge let his eyes fall to the baby in his arms, his small pointed nose that was accompanied by a small smile. It sickened Scrooge to see such an innocent smile on something that just took a life of a kind soul. "This is your fault, you killed her." Scrooge rushed through the doors to shove the baby into the arms of Oliver's mother. He started to run outside, he tried to get as far away as he could but it was as if bugs were crawling under his skin. As he'd never escape the horror he saw that day, Scrooge's heart froze over the tiniest bit, however it would continue to keep freezing as the years kept coming.


End file.
